October 1, 2025 • 34 mins
The federal government has entered a shutdown, raising concerns about national operations and funding delays. In Charlotte, a new audit reveals that armed security on public transit has dropped by at least 40% since 2018, despite ongoing safety concerns. Governor Stein has signed several bills into law but continues to review Iryna’s Law and its broader justice reforms. Meanwhile, a new mini-budget directs funds to storm relief, a Lenovo Center initiative, schools, and airports.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
It's five oh five and welcome into a Wednesday edition
of the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven ten nine
three WBT. I'm Nick Craig, a good morning to you.
Happy October the first, and as we come on the
air live this Wednesday morning, we are officially in the
midst of a government shut down. The government has officially
(00:29):
shut down after lawmakers throughout the day on Tuesday adjourned,
and we're not able to come to an agreement on
government funding ahead of the Senate adjournment yesterday afternoon. The
Senate's final vote, fifty five to forty five, voted in
favor of advancing a short term a continuing resolution, also
(00:50):
called a CR. However, the package fell five votes short
of the sixty vote filibuster threshold, as Republicans and Democrats
across the majority of the party cannot get together in
Congress to come with a spending a package. Senator Catherine
Cortez Mastow, the Democrat out of Nevada, as well as
(01:11):
Senator Angus King, an independent out of Maine who caucused
with the Democrats, did join Republicans in voting for that legislation.
They were the two of the fifty five votes in favor.
Senator Lisa Murkowski were the Republican out of Alaska who
voted against the GOP funding bill when it came before
(01:31):
the Senate last earlier in the week, flipped her vote
in favor of the measure as well. So with that,
you've got a couple of Democrats that have come across
the aisle. All Republicans outside of Senator Ran Paul out
of Kentucky voted in favor of that legislation. After the
Senate failed to secure that sixty vote threshold for the
(01:54):
White House backed a continuing resolution. White House Office and
Management Budget Director Russ Voight sent out a note to
all federal agencies saying, in part quote, it is unclear
how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the
duration of the shutdown difficult to predict. Regardless, employees should
(02:15):
report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of
duty to undertake orderly shut down activities. We will issue
another memorandum indicating that government functions should resume once the
President has signed a bill provided a providing for funding appropriations.
Agencies should continue to closely monitor developments and omb that's
(02:39):
the Office of Management and Budget will provide further guidance
as appropriate. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and the work
you and your agencies do on behalf of the American
people signed RUSS Void of OMB. So we've got these.
As many federal workers show up to their job on
this Wednesday, they will begin the process of a setting
(03:02):
forth as some of the plans for, as the OMB
director noted, those government shut down activities that are taking
place right now. Republicans sought a short term extension of
the current spending levels to allow lawmakers time to finalize
appropriations for the calendar year twenty twenty six, and while
(03:22):
Democrats are refusing to back any continuing resolution that does
not include changes to healthcare related funding passed by Congress
in the most recent budget, as both parties appear to
believe public opinion is on their side. Democrats insisted on
the need to reverse as much as one trillion dollars
(03:43):
in healthcare related spending provisions that came out of the
One to Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed in July
earlier this year, and make covid Era Affordable Care Act
Enhancement premium tax credits permanent Democrats to say that that
plan is necessary to prevent a life loss of health
coverage by tens of millions of people and avoid a
(04:04):
sharp increase in health insurance premiums, while Republicans have said
that the Democrats proposal would add somewhere in the ballpark
of one point five trillion dollars in spending as and
is a quote unseerious starting point for discussions. On Monday,
the President of the United States, Vice President JD. Vance,
(04:26):
and the OMB Director did meet with Hakeem Jeffries and
Chuck Schumer, the leaders of the Democrat Party and both
the House and the Senate, to try and come to
a negotiation. However, they were unable to do so. So again,
as we join you on this Wednesday morning, the federal
government is officially shut down. That happened at twelve oh one.
(04:48):
Just to let you know, these are the services that
are set to remain open during this government shut down.
The postal service will continue to run without an issue.
Medicare social Security payments will continue. Air traffic control things
like TSA, so no major delays caused by that at
any of our major airports across the state. The court systems,
(05:12):
both local, state and federal, including the United States Supreme Court,
will remain operational. Border security does continue to take place.
Any disasterrade that of course very relevant here across the
state of North Carolina that has been allocated will continue
to flow, as well as federal law enforcement agencies including
the FBI, DEA, and prison staff will remain operational. The
(05:37):
United States Secret Service, which of course is tasked with
protecting the President and other high ranking government officials, and
the United States Coast Guard will remain and will continue
their activities, and the military all active duty personnel will
stay on the job. At nearly half of the Department
of Wars, seven seven and forty one thousand civilian employees
(06:00):
could face furloughs. Paychecks are going out today on the
first of the month. However, as we look at the
calendar two weeks from now, that's where we could be
looking at the possibility of some individuals not getting paychecks
on that second pay period of the month, which will
be coming up here in two weeks. So as of
right now, really the only major changes things that are
(06:22):
immediately shut down is national parks are likely to close
during the shutdown. That happened similarly back in twenty eighteen,
when the last time there was a federal government shutdown.
Visitor centers and tours of federal buildings, including the United
States Capitol, White House, and FBI building will not be
taking place, and it's not immediately clear, but there's a
(06:44):
possibility that the Smithsonian Museum system could close as well.
That would probably be in the event of an extended shutdown.
While it's not immediately clear this morning how long this
shutdown will remain, lawmakers are expected to be back in Washington,
DC and back on their respective House and Senate floors
(07:05):
around ten o'clock Eastern time this morning, so we'll wait
and see that it could be as quickly as a
little bit later on today that Democrats in the Senate
cross the isle and give the Republicans the sixty votes
they need to avoid that filibuster. We'll keep an eye
on the details right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
In some other news this morning, a new rapid response
(07:28):
report from the North Carolina State Auditor's Office is raising
serious concerns about the safety on the Charlotte Area transportation system,
which is known as CATS. This is coming more than
a month after the murder of twenty three year old
Irena Zaruska. Zaruska was traveling on the Charlotte light Rail,
(07:49):
which is operated by CATS, back on the night of
August the twenty second, when an individual by the name
of de Carlos Brown Junior fatally stabbed her. Brown has
a length the criminal record and repeated in a lengthy
criminal record, and reportedly did not purchase a ticket to
ride the Charlotte light Rail the night that he stabbed
(08:10):
Zaruska in the neck. The report found that KATZ right
now has fewer armed officers, unfilled security positions, and contracts
awarded under questionable procurement practices. This is all why, while
riders face crime rates higher than the national average, security
spending at CATS has soared from five point nine million
(08:32):
dollars in twenty twenty two to a whopping eighteen point
four million dollars in twenty twenty five. However, while funding
has gone up dramatically, the number of armed security guards
on duty has declined by at least forty percent over
that same three year time period. This staffing level, which
(08:52):
went from around sixty eight armed personnel in twenty eighteen
to just thirty nine and twenty twenty five doesn't give
the CATS system the opportunity to place an armed guard
on all forty eight cars within the Charlotte light Rail.
According to the OSA report, although the city contract allows
for as many as two hundred and nineteen armed and
(09:14):
unarmed staff to provide security to CATS, the report found
that just one hundred and eighty six were actually assigned
to the Charlotte Transportation System by Professional Security Services or PSS.
That is, the group that is has the contract to
provide security. That is, those with the number are those
(09:35):
are rather what the numbers look like. When Zerusko was stabbed,
State Auditor Dave Bollock said, quote, the safety of citizens
of Charlotte needs to be first and foremost when security
decisions are being made. Our report shows that there has
been a clear shift away from armed security in kats's
private security contracts. Some of the other issues these questionable contracts.
(09:59):
In twenty twenty two, the City of Charlotte issued what
is known as an RFPR, a request for proposal that
was in an attempt to find a new security contractor
for the to provide those services to CATS. Part of
the RFP requested security services from businesses that were registered
and certified with the city's Charlotte Business Inclusion Program, also
(10:23):
known as CBI. According to the auditor's report, the CBI
program quote seeks to enhance competition and participation of minority
women and small business enterprises in the city's contracting. The
City of Charlotte's website, still to this morning, highlights that
part of CBI's goal is quote leveraging the commitment of
(10:46):
city leadership. CBI's goal is to be a national model
in business inclusion space. To accomplish this, all city departments
have increasingly examined their procurement and set specific minority women
and small business enterprise participation goals on a contract by
contract basis. State Auditor Dave Bollock said in response to
(11:09):
that quote, Further limiting any part of a contract providing
citizens with security to only firms that meet DEI checkboxes
raise questions as to whether politics have taken priority over
public safety. As we continue our investigation, we will be
examining the decisions that went into designing, soliciting, and approving
(11:33):
these security contracts. Immediate reaction to this rapid response report
from the Auditor's office on Tuesday have come out. House
Speaker Destin Hall called the situation quote unacceptable and noted
that the North Carolina House will be taking actions based
on these findings. We will have some additional coverage over
(11:54):
on our website of this rapid response report that's over
at Carolina Journal HiT's five twenty three. Welcome back to
the Carolina Journal News our newstock eleven, ten ninety nine
three WBT Democrat Governor Josh Stein signed two bills into
(12:18):
law and let one become law on Tuesday. However, IRENA's
Law House Bill three oh seven wasn't one of them,
the governor told reporters after Tuesday's Council of State meeting.
After being asked about this piece of legislation and whether
he was going to sign it or not, he told reporters, quote,
it's just an immensely complicated law, and it's an immensely
(12:40):
complicated subject. How do we promote public safety? And I
want to make sure that the law is making us
safer instead of making us less safe. And so I'm
doing a thorough review, as I hope people would expect
me to do, is what he told reporters. It was
signed and presented to the governor after the North Carolina
House of Representatives proved it back on September the twenty
(13:02):
third by a vote of eighty one to thirty one.
House Built three oh seven is a sweeping criminal justice
reform bill introduced and advocated after the murder of twenty
three year old Ukrainian Ukrainian refugee Irena Zaruska just one
month earlier on the Charlotte light rail. The House vote
came one day after the measure swiftly cleared the Senate
(13:24):
committees and passed the Senate floor in a vote of
twenty eight to eight following multiple hours of debate. The
legislation titans pre trial conditions for the release of violent offenders,
eliminates cashless bail across the state, and establishes a new
protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the criminal justice system.
(13:46):
It also sets a firmer timeline for appeal in death
penalty cases. In addition, it allows it allows for death
by firing squad if the death penalty is used in
any cases. When asked if he would prove such a
provision given his support of the death penalty as Attorney General,
Stein said that he and his office are studying the
(14:08):
bill in its entirety to understand what the full impacts
of it would be. Carolina Journal had the ability to
ask the governor if he had a comment on Monday's
United States House Judiciary Committee field hearing, which took place
the title of that Victims of Violent Crime that came
about after the murder of Zaruska. He apologized and said
(14:31):
he didn't get a chance to view it after being
tied up at a press conference in Southport addressing a
shooting that left three dead and five injured at a
waterfront bar in restaurant. He did say, however, that everyone
should be and feel safe, regardless of where they are
in the state, and telling the Carolina Journal based on
that question quote, every North Carolinian deserves to be safe
(14:54):
and deserves to feel safe, you know, if they're going
home after a long days of work like a was,
or whether they're having dinner with their partner on a
dock by the water, whether they're going to church like
those people in Michigan. So people deserve to be safe,
and what they deserve from policy makers are real solutions
that will actually advance their safety and not politicize these efforts.
(15:18):
So that is some of the commentary there from Democrat
Governor Josh Stein on IRENA's Law. He does have until
the end of the week to decide whether he is
going to sign this legislation or veto it, or allow
it to become law. We will be keeping a very
close eye on the activities of the governor and pass
them along to you as soon as we get them
right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. A couple
(15:42):
of the other things that were signed Senate Bill two
forty five, which expands remote driver's license services. This is
pretty impactful across North Carolina. It allows for remote renewals
of driver's license, eliminating the driving log requirement, and authorizes
remote issuance for full provisional licenses. The governor said in
(16:03):
his signature of Senate Bill two point five quote. This
law will enable more people to renew their driver's licenses online,
helping them avoid lines at DMV offices. It will also
strengthen the state's ability to protect against cyber threats. The governor,
while not signing, did not veto House Built nine twenty five.
(16:24):
That's the Regulatory Reform Act of twenty twenty five that
took effect without his signature. It allows author It allows
authorized on site wastewater evaluators to prepare a site denial
letter for subsurface water stations, an APA exemption for rules
to modernize wastewater permitting, and reduces the frequency of oversight
(16:46):
for certain public water supplemental treatment facilities, among a variety
of other things. There is typically a regulatory act that
goes through the General Assembly every year. In this case,
the governor did not sign or veto. However, state law
determines that if the governor fails to take action, the
bill automatically becomes law again unless he vetoes it. The
(17:08):
governor said, quote, this bill includes a handful of common
sense regulatory reforms, and I appreciate the legislature's engagement with
state agencies on a number of provisions. However, I remain
concerned about provisions that negatively impact water quality. However, his
concern obviously cannot be that high, as he did not
veto the legislation and did allow it to become law.
(17:31):
So House Bill nine twenty five and Senate Bill two
forty five being passed by or being approved by the governor.
One of the other pieces of legislation also includes a
mini budget, as the General Assembly still has not proposed
a full budget proposal for this twenty twenty five twenty
twenty six fiscal year. We'll get some details on that
(17:54):
with the editor in chief of Carolina Journal dot com,
Donna King, coming up here in just a few minutes.
It's five thirty five. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal
News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety nine to three wbt
IS we come on the air this morning. We are
(18:14):
officially in the midst of a government shutdown. This is
after lawmakers yesterday evening adjourned early with no agreement on
government funding. Lawmakers will return around ten o'clock this morning
in the Senate to potentially pass some sort of short
term funding package. Ahead of the adjournment. Yesterday, the Senate
(18:36):
voted fifty five to forty five in favor of advancing
a package that fell just five votes short of the
sixty vote filibuster threshold. There were a couple of Democrats,
including Senator Catherine Cortez Mastow, the Democrat of Nevada, and
Senator Angus King, an independent out of Maine who did
(18:57):
join the Republicans in voting for the legis Senator Ran Paul,
the Republican out of Kentucky, broke with his party and
voted against the funding bill. After the Senate failed to
secure a supermajority for this White House backed funding bill,
the White House Office and Manage the off The White
House's Office of Management and Budget Director in Russ Voi
(19:20):
ordered federal officials to begin playing out their plans for
an orderly shutdown and that will be taking place as
soon as today. Earlier in the week, Voight directed agencies
to prepare plans for layoffs in the event of a shutdown,
and ahead of the shutdown, a resolution sponsored by Democrats
was rejected forty seven to fifty three along party lines.
(19:45):
Republicans were seeking a short term extension of current spending
levels to allow lawmakers time to finalize appropriations for twenty
twenty six. This is while Democrats are refusing to back
any continuing resolution or CR that does not include changes
to healthcare related funding passed by Congress in the most
(20:06):
recent budget bill. As both parties appear to believe public
opinion is on their side, and as it stands right
now it's still early in the day, I'll note both
the parties seemingly digging their feet deeper into the sand
on this issue and sticking with it. So that's the
big split that you've got between the two political parties
(20:27):
on this shutdown. As it stands right now, the vast
majority of federal government services will remain operational, at least
for the next two weeks. That includes the United States
Postal Service, Social Security payments will continue, air traffic control
and TSA. The court system, whether that be a local,
state or federal court, border security will remain. Disaster aid
(20:50):
that has already been allocated will continue to roll out
from the federal government. Of federal law enforcement agencies, including
things like the FBI DEA, It's the Drug Enforcement Agency
atf and prison staff will remain operational, as well as
the Secret Service and Coast Guard. And for the military,
(21:10):
all active duty personnel will stay on the job. All
of them are receiving a federal paycheck this morning on
October the first, but nearly half of the Department of
Wars seven hundred and forty one thousand civilian employees could
face furloughs, as that would be if the government shutdown
does continue and lag on for multiple days. Really, the
(21:33):
immediate impacts will include visitor centers and tours of federal
government buildings, including things like the Capitol, White House, and
FBI building, will not take place. National parks have closed
during previous shutdowns. It's not immediately clear if they will
be shutting down today or maybe later this week, and
the Smithsonian Museum system could close in the event of
(21:56):
an extended shutdown as well. Really, the timeline to keep
an eye on this morning is October the fifteenth. That
is when the next paychecks for federal government employees would
be scheduled to go out. We will see what lawmakers
have to say and do over the next couple of
days in the next couple of weeks. As we approach
that this October the fifteenth deadline, we'll keep an eye
(22:16):
on the details right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour,
where it's now five forty News Talk eleven ten ninety
nine to three WBT. While we sit here on the
first day of October, we have been waiting since July
for a full budget from the North Carolina General Assembly.
The impasses still continued between the North Carolina House and
Senate's stalling that full budget. However, we have seen a
(22:38):
couple of mini budgets over the last couple of months,
and we've got details on a new one just signed
into law by Governor Josh Stein this week. To walk
us through some of those details, the editor in chief
of Carolina Journal dot com, Dona Kinga, joins us on
the news hour. Donald's unfortunate lawmakers haven't been able to
get a full budget figured out, but some main priorities,
obviously from the legislature and the governor, are getting out.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Yes they are. So we saw that governor sign signed
this what we're calling a mini budget. It was passed
by the North Carolina General Assembly while they were in
town last week. It has some you know, we can
really identify what some of those priorities are. That it
went through the legislature, it's been signed by the governor.
They found, I guess some common ground and some of
these things. Among the things that go into it is
(23:22):
sixty five million in one time dollars for storm relief,
but also some infrastructure projects, economic development projects. One of
the ones we're watching in the Triangle is money for
what they call this Centennial Authority. What it really is
is to spruce up and change and build out that
sort of entertainment district around Carter Finley Stadium and the
(23:45):
Lenovo Center in Raleigh. It's where the Hurricanes play the
NHL Hockey League team, and then of course Brancy State
plays football and basketball. Thirty five million probably doesn't even
scratch the surface so what this project will ultimately cost,
but it is thirty five million dollars to start getting
that rolling to renovate that sports arena, that regional entertainment
(24:06):
and sports arena, So that money is in there. There's
also a few little things in there that we're watching
pretty closely. One of them is that the Office of
the State Auditor is asking for two more floors for
really growing the staff that they have there with additional
duties that have been assigned by the state legislature. But
also you know, some housekeeping things for community college funds,
(24:28):
and then some money for specialty high schools in North
Carolina and schools like the School for the Deaf and
things like that, tuition grants for the School of Mathematics.
Some of these projects that they've been watching that are
important as they get through the budget process. But you're right,
no big budget yet, and there's a lot of things
in there that still haven't been taken care of.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Touching on storm relief. That's one of the largest things
in this mini budget. There is bipartisan support that more
money needs to be sent out West as we have
now crossed that one year mark since Hurricane Lean left
so much devastation and destruction in its wake, and with
that Donald there's also been a lot of finger pointing
up at Washington, d C. Whether we're talking about FEMA
or Congress, about getting some more of that money that
(25:12):
has already been allocated here to the state. It seems
like maybe the General assemblies maybe trying to plug some
of those holes play as a stopgap measure while some
of that some more of those federal funds roll in.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Yeah, so that sixty five million is pretty specific going
it's coming from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund.
They also have Tropical Storm shen T Hall, remember that
kind of hit Palamance County in that area, They have
some damage there that they want to address. Some of
this money also goes to what they call an audit dashboard,
so that you and I and other North Carolinians can
(25:45):
go in and see where storm relief money is flowing.
That's one of the things we had a problem with
when we look back at Encore and some of the
management bureaucracy issues that they had following Hurricanes Florence and Matthew.
They also are making repairs to Warren Wilson College. You
and see ASHTVILL some of those things that really really
took a hit during Hurricane Helen.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
As we look at this going forward, the lawmakers in Raleigh,
do you have a couple of voting days left here
before the end of the year, A couple of days
coming up later this month, a couple next month, Donna,
is there any pet possibility at this point that we
see a full budget here before the calendar flips over
to twenty twenty six, or are we just going to
be coasting on many budgets through the rest of this
(26:28):
year and into next.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
You know, there was a time even two weeks ago,
that I thought maybe I'd been hearing that they were
reaching some agreements. But with the passage of this many
budget likely others to come, I think it's looking less
and less likely we'll have a big budget before the
end of the year. It's not the end of the world, though, certainly.
What it really means is that our old budget continues
to take effect under State laws, so it doesn't make
(26:51):
those big changes. We don't have shutdowns like you would
say in the federal government, which we're watching really closely.
So these kind of things also identify the priority for
the state legislature and where they can find that agreement,
perhaps with the governor.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Do you think this is a little bit of a
political black eye for Republicans? They do, of course have
majorities in both the House and the Senate. Governor Stein
in his capacity and other prominent Democrats in the General
Assembly seem to be able to use this inability for
the Republicans to get together on a budget is kind
of a punching bag down. It seems like there's some
truth to it.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I mean it could be certainly. I mean, we've got
a midterm election coming up in twenty twenty six. Democrats
will likely push on it because we hear them say
that every time these mini budgets come to the floor.
We hear Democrats saying, well, why don't we have a
big budget? And what I think we're really seeing is
this reflection the breakdown between the two chambers and whether
they can agree to keep taxes from keep taxes going down,
(27:47):
that we have a system in place where there are
triggers that as long as economic development and revenues are
coming in, that our state taxes will continue to go
down automatically. And I think there's some disagreement between the Senate,
who wants to keep those triggers moving, keep those taxes
going down, and the House, who is worried and wants
(28:07):
to slow the triggers and not decrease taxes. I think
that you know, historically, what we've seen over the last
decade is that march toward lower taxes is actually working
really well in North Carolina. It's bringing a lot of
companies here without having to give them incentives, although the
incentives are still making the rounds. It seems to some
of those lucky corporations who are chosen by bureaucrats to
(28:30):
get extra money and extra funding and extra support, the
Senate and the folks who want to see taxes keep
going down say, look, taxes need to go down for everybody,
not just those who get incentives.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Absolutely, we've got continued coverage this morning on this mini
budget passed by the General Assembly now signed by Democrat
Governor Josh Stein. You can read those details by visiting
our website. Carolina Journal dot com. It's time for wbt's
Talktoberfest twenty twenty five. You can join us every Saturday
(29:05):
and Sunday in the month of October at six pm
on the WBT Facebook Live feed for a fun, interactive
conversation with all of the great hosts here on News
Talk eleven ten and ninety nine to three WBT. I
will be on this Sunday with Brent Winterble. You can
find out additional details by visiting our website. This morning
WBT dot com. It's now five point fifty three. Welcome
(29:28):
back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk eleven ten,
ninety nine to three WBT. As we look at a
new rapid response report from the North Carolina State Auditor's Office,
it is raising serious concerns about safety on the Charlotte
Area transit system, also known as CATS. This all coming
more than a month after the brutal, horrific murder of
(29:50):
twenty three year old Irena Zaruska. The twenty three year
old was traveling on the Charlotte light Rail, which is
operated by CATS, on the evening of August t when
an individual by the name of de Carlos Brown Junior
is seen in video surveillance fatally stabbing her in the neck.
Brown has a lengthy criminal record and reportedly did not
(30:11):
purchase a ticket to ride the light rail the night
that he stabbed Zaruska and was riding the light rail
completely for free. The report found that Katz has fewer
armed officers than previous years, a numerous unfilled security positions,
and contracts awarded under very questionable procurement practices, all while
riders face crime rates higher than the national average. Looking
(30:35):
at the security spending, this is remarkable Cats and the
amount that they spend on security has ballooned. It was
just five point nine million dollars in twenty twenty two.
That number has jumped all the way up to eighteen
point four million dollars in twenty twenty five. Yet the
number of armed security guards on duty has declined by
(30:56):
at least forty percent over that same time period. This
staffing level, which was around sixty eight in twenty eighteen,
is now just thirty nine and twenty twenty five, which
does not allow Cats to place an armed officer or
guard on all forty eight train all forty eight cars
of the light rail, according it to the OSA report,
(31:17):
Although the city contract allows for as many as two
hundred and nineteen armed and unarmed security staff. The report
found that there was just one hundred and eighty six
actually assigned to CATS by the company that they contracted with,
Professional Security Services or PSS at the time that Zaruska
was murdered. State Auditor Dave Bolick said, quote, the safety
(31:42):
of citizens of Charlotte need to be first and foremost
when security decisions are being made. Our report shows there
has been a clear shift away from armed security in
the cat's private security contracts. One of the other major
issues brought forth in this report was an RFP or
a request for proposal from twenty twenty two and and
(32:05):
with the City of Charlotte requested security services from businesses
that were registered or certified with the city's Charlotte Business
Inclusion Program or CBI. According to the auditor's report, the
CBI program quote seeks to enhance a competition and participation
of minority, women, and small business enterprises in city contracting.
(32:30):
With that The State Auditor Dave Bollock blasted the decision
from the City of Charlotte and Katz, saying, quote, further
limiting any part of a contract providing citizens with security
to only firms that meet DEI checkboxes raise questions as
to whether politics have taken a priority over public safety.
(32:52):
As we continue our investigation, we will be examining the
decisions that went into designing, soliciting, and approved these security contracts.
Now reaction has started to trickle in from the report
released by the Auditor's Office on Tuesday afternoon. Those responses
also include House Speaker Duston Hall, who called the situation
(33:15):
unacceptable and noted that the North Carolina House will be
taking action based on the findings in this Rapid Response report.
Lawmakers do have some voting days coming up later this month.
They will be back the week of October the twentieth,
potentially for a couple of days to deal with a
variety of issues, Potentially some veto overrides and at least
(33:37):
reading in between the lines in the commentary there from
House Speaker Duston Hall, potentially deal with some additional details
surrounding cats and the Charlotte City Council based on this report.
We've got additional coverage and details on this Rapid Response
report over on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. That's
going to do it for a Wednesday edition at WBT
(33:59):
News is next, followed by good morning BT. We're back
with you tomorrow morning, five to six. Right here by
new Stock eleven ten and ninety nine three WBT
It's five oh five and welcome into a Wednesday edition
of the Carolina Journal News Hour, Newstock eleven ten nine
three WBT. I'm Nick Craig, a good morning to you.
Happy October the first, and as we come on the
air live this Wednesday morning, we are officially in the
midst of a government shut down. The government has officially
(00:29):
shut down after lawmakers throughout the day on Tuesday adjourned,
and we're not able to come to an agreement on
government funding ahead of the Senate adjournment yesterday afternoon. The
Senate's final vote, fifty five to forty five, voted in
favor of advancing a short term a continuing resolution, also
(00:50):
called a CR. However, the package fell five votes short
of the sixty vote filibuster threshold, as Republicans and Democrats
across the majority of the party cannot get together in
Congress to come with a spending a package. Senator Catherine
Cortez Mastow, the Democrat out of Nevada, as well as
(01:11):
Senator Angus King, an independent out of Maine who caucused
with the Democrats, did join Republicans in voting for that legislation.
They were the two of the fifty five votes in favor.
Senator Lisa Murkowski were the Republican out of Alaska who
voted against the GOP funding bill when it came before
(01:31):
the Senate last earlier in the week, flipped her vote
in favor of the measure as well. So with that,
you've got a couple of Democrats that have come across
the aisle. All Republicans outside of Senator Ran Paul out
of Kentucky voted in favor of that legislation. After the
Senate failed to secure that sixty vote threshold for the
(01:54):
White House backed a continuing resolution. White House Office and
Management Budget Director Russ Voight sent out a note to
all federal agencies saying, in part quote, it is unclear
how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the
duration of the shutdown difficult to predict. Regardless, employees should
(02:15):
report to work for their next regularly scheduled tour of
duty to undertake orderly shut down activities. We will issue
another memorandum indicating that government functions should resume once the
President has signed a bill provided a providing for funding appropriations.
Agencies should continue to closely monitor developments and omb that's
(02:39):
the Office of Management and Budget will provide further guidance
as appropriate. We greatly appreciate your cooperation and the work
you and your agencies do on behalf of the American
people signed RUSS Void of OMB. So we've got these.
As many federal workers show up to their job on
this Wednesday, they will begin the process of a setting
(03:02):
forth as some of the plans for, as the OMB
director noted, those government shut down activities that are taking
place right now. Republicans sought a short term extension of
the current spending levels to allow lawmakers time to finalize
appropriations for the calendar year twenty twenty six, and while
(03:22):
Democrats are refusing to back any continuing resolution that does
not include changes to healthcare related funding passed by Congress
in the most recent budget, as both parties appear to
believe public opinion is on their side. Democrats insisted on
the need to reverse as much as one trillion dollars
(03:43):
in healthcare related spending provisions that came out of the
One to Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed in July
earlier this year, and make covid Era Affordable Care Act
Enhancement premium tax credits permanent Democrats to say that that
plan is necessary to prevent a life loss of health
coverage by tens of millions of people and avoid a
(04:04):
sharp increase in health insurance premiums, while Republicans have said
that the Democrats proposal would add somewhere in the ballpark
of one point five trillion dollars in spending as and
is a quote unseerious starting point for discussions. On Monday,
the President of the United States, Vice President JD. Vance,
(04:26):
and the OMB Director did meet with Hakeem Jeffries and
Chuck Schumer, the leaders of the Democrat Party and both
the House and the Senate, to try and come to
a negotiation. However, they were unable to do so. So again,
as we join you on this Wednesday morning, the federal
government is officially shut down. That happened at twelve oh one.
(04:48):
Just to let you know, these are the services that
are set to remain open during this government shut down.
The postal service will continue to run without an issue.
Medicare social Security payments will continue. Air traffic control things
like TSA, so no major delays caused by that at
any of our major airports across the state. The court systems,
(05:12):
both local, state and federal, including the United States Supreme Court,
will remain operational. Border security does continue to take place.
Any disasterrade that of course very relevant here across the
state of North Carolina that has been allocated will continue
to flow, as well as federal law enforcement agencies including
the FBI, DEA, and prison staff will remain operational. The
(05:37):
United States Secret Service, which of course is tasked with
protecting the President and other high ranking government officials, and
the United States Coast Guard will remain and will continue
their activities, and the military all active duty personnel will
stay on the job. At nearly half of the Department
of Wars, seven seven and forty one thousand civilian employees
(06:00):
could face furloughs. Paychecks are going out today on the
first of the month. However, as we look at the
calendar two weeks from now, that's where we could be
looking at the possibility of some individuals not getting paychecks
on that second pay period of the month, which will
be coming up here in two weeks. So as of
right now, really the only major changes things that are
(06:22):
immediately shut down is national parks are likely to close
during the shutdown. That happened similarly back in twenty eighteen,
when the last time there was a federal government shutdown.
Visitor centers and tours of federal buildings, including the United
States Capitol, White House, and FBI building will not be
taking place, and it's not immediately clear, but there's a
(06:44):
possibility that the Smithsonian Museum system could close as well.
That would probably be in the event of an extended shutdown.
While it's not immediately clear this morning how long this
shutdown will remain, lawmakers are expected to be back in Washington,
DC and back on their respective House and Senate floors
(07:05):
around ten o'clock Eastern time this morning, so we'll wait
and see that it could be as quickly as a
little bit later on today that Democrats in the Senate
cross the isle and give the Republicans the sixty votes
they need to avoid that filibuster. We'll keep an eye
on the details right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour.
In some other news this morning, a new rapid response
(07:28):
report from the North Carolina State Auditor's Office is raising
serious concerns about the safety on the Charlotte Area transportation system,
which is known as CATS. This is coming more than
a month after the murder of twenty three year old
Irena Zaruska. Zaruska was traveling on the Charlotte light Rail,
(07:49):
which is operated by CATS, back on the night of
August the twenty second, when an individual by the name
of de Carlos Brown Junior fatally stabbed her. Brown has
a length the criminal record and repeated in a lengthy
criminal record, and reportedly did not purchase a ticket to
ride the Charlotte light Rail the night that he stabbed
(08:10):
Zaruska in the neck. The report found that KATZ right
now has fewer armed officers, unfilled security positions, and contracts
awarded under questionable procurement practices. This is all why, while
riders face crime rates higher than the national average, security
spending at CATS has soared from five point nine million
(08:32):
dollars in twenty twenty two to a whopping eighteen point
four million dollars in twenty twenty five. However, while funding
has gone up dramatically, the number of armed security guards
on duty has declined by at least forty percent over
that same three year time period. This staffing level, which
(08:52):
went from around sixty eight armed personnel in twenty eighteen
to just thirty nine and twenty twenty five doesn't give
the CATS system the opportunity to place an armed guard
on all forty eight cars within the Charlotte light Rail.
According to the OSA report, although the city contract allows
for as many as two hundred and nineteen armed and
(09:14):
unarmed staff to provide security to CATS, the report found
that just one hundred and eighty six were actually assigned
to the Charlotte Transportation System by Professional Security Services or PSS.
That is, the group that is has the contract to
provide security. That is, those with the number are those
(09:35):
are rather what the numbers look like. When Zerusko was stabbed,
State Auditor Dave Bollock said, quote, the safety of citizens
of Charlotte needs to be first and foremost when security
decisions are being made. Our report shows that there has
been a clear shift away from armed security in kats's
private security contracts. Some of the other issues these questionable contracts.
(09:59):
In twenty twenty two, the City of Charlotte issued what
is known as an RFPR, a request for proposal that
was in an attempt to find a new security contractor
for the to provide those services to CATS. Part of
the RFP requested security services from businesses that were registered
and certified with the city's Charlotte Business Inclusion Program, also
(10:23):
known as CBI. According to the auditor's report, the CBI
program quote seeks to enhance competition and participation of minority
women and small business enterprises in the city's contracting. The
City of Charlotte's website, still to this morning, highlights that
part of CBI's goal is quote leveraging the commitment of
(10:46):
city leadership. CBI's goal is to be a national model
in business inclusion space. To accomplish this, all city departments
have increasingly examined their procurement and set specific minority women
and small business enterprise participation goals on a contract by
contract basis. State Auditor Dave Bollock said in response to
(11:09):
that quote, Further limiting any part of a contract providing
citizens with security to only firms that meet DEI checkboxes
raise questions as to whether politics have taken priority over
public safety. As we continue our investigation, we will be
examining the decisions that went into designing, soliciting, and approving
(11:33):
these security contracts. Immediate reaction to this rapid response report
from the Auditor's office on Tuesday have come out. House
Speaker Destin Hall called the situation quote unacceptable and noted
that the North Carolina House will be taking actions based
on these findings. We will have some additional coverage over
(11:54):
on our website of this rapid response report that's over
at Carolina Journal HiT's five twenty three. Welcome back to
the Carolina Journal News our newstock eleven, ten ninety nine
three WBT Democrat Governor Josh Stein signed two bills into
(12:18):
law and let one become law on Tuesday. However, IRENA's
Law House Bill three oh seven wasn't one of them,
the governor told reporters after Tuesday's Council of State meeting.
After being asked about this piece of legislation and whether
he was going to sign it or not, he told reporters, quote,
it's just an immensely complicated law, and it's an immensely
(12:40):
complicated subject. How do we promote public safety? And I
want to make sure that the law is making us
safer instead of making us less safe. And so I'm
doing a thorough review, as I hope people would expect
me to do, is what he told reporters. It was
signed and presented to the governor after the North Carolina
House of Representatives proved it back on September the twenty
(13:02):
third by a vote of eighty one to thirty one.
House Built three oh seven is a sweeping criminal justice
reform bill introduced and advocated after the murder of twenty
three year old Ukrainian Ukrainian refugee Irena Zaruska just one
month earlier on the Charlotte light rail. The House vote
came one day after the measure swiftly cleared the Senate
(13:24):
committees and passed the Senate floor in a vote of
twenty eight to eight following multiple hours of debate. The
legislation titans pre trial conditions for the release of violent offenders,
eliminates cashless bail across the state, and establishes a new
protocol for ordering mental health evaluations in the criminal justice system.
(13:46):
It also sets a firmer timeline for appeal in death
penalty cases. In addition, it allows it allows for death
by firing squad if the death penalty is used in
any cases. When asked if he would prove such a
provision given his support of the death penalty as Attorney General,
Stein said that he and his office are studying the
(14:08):
bill in its entirety to understand what the full impacts
of it would be. Carolina Journal had the ability to
ask the governor if he had a comment on Monday's
United States House Judiciary Committee field hearing, which took place
the title of that Victims of Violent Crime that came
about after the murder of Zaruska. He apologized and said
(14:31):
he didn't get a chance to view it after being
tied up at a press conference in Southport addressing a
shooting that left three dead and five injured at a
waterfront bar in restaurant. He did say, however, that everyone
should be and feel safe, regardless of where they are
in the state, and telling the Carolina Journal based on
that question quote, every North Carolinian deserves to be safe
(14:54):
and deserves to feel safe, you know, if they're going
home after a long days of work like a was,
or whether they're having dinner with their partner on a
dock by the water, whether they're going to church like
those people in Michigan. So people deserve to be safe,
and what they deserve from policy makers are real solutions
that will actually advance their safety and not politicize these efforts.
(15:18):
So that is some of the commentary there from Democrat
Governor Josh Stein on IRENA's Law. He does have until
the end of the week to decide whether he is
going to sign this legislation or veto it, or allow
it to become law. We will be keeping a very
close eye on the activities of the governor and pass
them along to you as soon as we get them
right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour. A couple
(15:42):
of the other things that were signed Senate Bill two
forty five, which expands remote driver's license services. This is
pretty impactful across North Carolina. It allows for remote renewals
of driver's license, eliminating the driving log requirement, and authorizes
remote issuance for full provisional licenses. The governor said in
(16:03):
his signature of Senate Bill two point five quote. This
law will enable more people to renew their driver's licenses online,
helping them avoid lines at DMV offices. It will also
strengthen the state's ability to protect against cyber threats. The governor,
while not signing, did not veto House Built nine twenty five.
(16:24):
That's the Regulatory Reform Act of twenty twenty five that
took effect without his signature. It allows author It allows
authorized on site wastewater evaluators to prepare a site denial
letter for subsurface water stations, an APA exemption for rules
to modernize wastewater permitting, and reduces the frequency of oversight
(16:46):
for certain public water supplemental treatment facilities, among a variety
of other things. There is typically a regulatory act that
goes through the General Assembly every year. In this case,
the governor did not sign or veto. However, state law
determines that if the governor fails to take action, the
bill automatically becomes law again unless he vetoes it. The
(17:08):
governor said, quote, this bill includes a handful of common
sense regulatory reforms, and I appreciate the legislature's engagement with
state agencies on a number of provisions. However, I remain
concerned about provisions that negatively impact water quality. However, his
concern obviously cannot be that high, as he did not
veto the legislation and did allow it to become law.
(17:31):
So House Bill nine twenty five and Senate Bill two
forty five being passed by or being approved by the governor.
One of the other pieces of legislation also includes a
mini budget, as the General Assembly still has not proposed
a full budget proposal for this twenty twenty five twenty
twenty six fiscal year. We'll get some details on that
(17:54):
with the editor in chief of Carolina Journal dot com,
Donna King, coming up here in just a few minutes.
It's five thirty five. Welcome back to the Carolina Journal
News Hour, Newstock eleven, ten ninety nine to three wbt
IS we come on the air this morning. We are
(18:14):
officially in the midst of a government shutdown. This is
after lawmakers yesterday evening adjourned early with no agreement on
government funding. Lawmakers will return around ten o'clock this morning
in the Senate to potentially pass some sort of short
term funding package. Ahead of the adjournment. Yesterday, the Senate
(18:36):
voted fifty five to forty five in favor of advancing
a package that fell just five votes short of the
sixty vote filibuster threshold. There were a couple of Democrats,
including Senator Catherine Cortez Mastow, the Democrat of Nevada, and
Senator Angus King, an independent out of Maine who did
(18:57):
join the Republicans in voting for the legis Senator Ran Paul,
the Republican out of Kentucky, broke with his party and
voted against the funding bill. After the Senate failed to
secure a supermajority for this White House backed funding bill,
the White House Office and Manage the off The White
House's Office of Management and Budget Director in Russ Voi
(19:20):
ordered federal officials to begin playing out their plans for
an orderly shutdown and that will be taking place as
soon as today. Earlier in the week, Voight directed agencies
to prepare plans for layoffs in the event of a shutdown,
and ahead of the shutdown, a resolution sponsored by Democrats
was rejected forty seven to fifty three along party lines.
(19:45):
Republicans were seeking a short term extension of current spending
levels to allow lawmakers time to finalize appropriations for twenty
twenty six. This is while Democrats are refusing to back
any continuing resolution or CR that does not include changes
to healthcare related funding passed by Congress in the most
(20:06):
recent budget bill. As both parties appear to believe public
opinion is on their side, and as it stands right
now it's still early in the day, I'll note both
the parties seemingly digging their feet deeper into the sand
on this issue and sticking with it. So that's the
big split that you've got between the two political parties
(20:27):
on this shutdown. As it stands right now, the vast
majority of federal government services will remain operational, at least
for the next two weeks. That includes the United States
Postal Service, Social Security payments will continue, air traffic control
and TSA. The court system, whether that be a local,
state or federal court, border security will remain. Disaster aid
(20:50):
that has already been allocated will continue to roll out
from the federal government. Of federal law enforcement agencies, including
things like the FBI DEA, It's the Drug Enforcement Agency
atf and prison staff will remain operational, as well as
the Secret Service and Coast Guard. And for the military,
(21:10):
all active duty personnel will stay on the job. All
of them are receiving a federal paycheck this morning on
October the first, but nearly half of the Department of
Wars seven hundred and forty one thousand civilian employees could
face furloughs, as that would be if the government shutdown
does continue and lag on for multiple days. Really, the
(21:33):
immediate impacts will include visitor centers and tours of federal
government buildings, including things like the Capitol, White House, and
FBI building, will not take place. National parks have closed
during previous shutdowns. It's not immediately clear if they will
be shutting down today or maybe later this week, and
the Smithsonian Museum system could close in the event of
(21:56):
an extended shutdown as well. Really, the timeline to keep
an eye on this morning is October the fifteenth. That
is when the next paychecks for federal government employees would
be scheduled to go out. We will see what lawmakers
have to say and do over the next couple of
days in the next couple of weeks. As we approach
that this October the fifteenth deadline, we'll keep an eye
(22:16):
on the details right here on the Carolina Journal News Hour,
where it's now five forty News Talk eleven ten ninety
nine to three WBT. While we sit here on the
first day of October, we have been waiting since July
for a full budget from the North Carolina General Assembly.
The impasses still continued between the North Carolina House and
Senate's stalling that full budget. However, we have seen a
(22:38):
couple of mini budgets over the last couple of months,
and we've got details on a new one just signed
into law by Governor Josh Stein this week. To walk
us through some of those details, the editor in chief
of Carolina Journal dot com, Dona Kinga, joins us on
the news hour. Donald's unfortunate lawmakers haven't been able to
get a full budget figured out, but some main priorities,
obviously from the legislature and the governor, are getting out.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Yes they are. So we saw that governor sign signed
this what we're calling a mini budget. It was passed
by the North Carolina General Assembly while they were in
town last week. It has some you know, we can
really identify what some of those priorities are. That it
went through the legislature, it's been signed by the governor.
They found, I guess some common ground and some of
these things. Among the things that go into it is
(23:22):
sixty five million in one time dollars for storm relief,
but also some infrastructure projects, economic development projects. One of
the ones we're watching in the Triangle is money for
what they call this Centennial Authority. What it really is
is to spruce up and change and build out that
sort of entertainment district around Carter Finley Stadium and the
(23:45):
Lenovo Center in Raleigh. It's where the Hurricanes play the
NHL Hockey League team, and then of course Brancy State
plays football and basketball. Thirty five million probably doesn't even
scratch the surface so what this project will ultimately cost,
but it is thirty five million dollars to start getting
that rolling to renovate that sports arena, that regional entertainment
(24:06):
and sports arena, So that money is in there. There's
also a few little things in there that we're watching
pretty closely. One of them is that the Office of
the State Auditor is asking for two more floors for
really growing the staff that they have there with additional
duties that have been assigned by the state legislature. But
also you know, some housekeeping things for community college funds,
(24:28):
and then some money for specialty high schools in North
Carolina and schools like the School for the Deaf and
things like that, tuition grants for the School of Mathematics.
Some of these projects that they've been watching that are
important as they get through the budget process. But you're right,
no big budget yet, and there's a lot of things
in there that still haven't been taken care of.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
Touching on storm relief. That's one of the largest things
in this mini budget. There is bipartisan support that more
money needs to be sent out West as we have
now crossed that one year mark since Hurricane Lean left
so much devastation and destruction in its wake, and with
that Donald there's also been a lot of finger pointing
up at Washington, d C. Whether we're talking about FEMA
or Congress, about getting some more of that money that
(25:12):
has already been allocated here to the state. It seems
like maybe the General assemblies maybe trying to plug some
of those holes play as a stopgap measure while some
of that some more of those federal funds roll in.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Yeah, so that sixty five million is pretty specific going
it's coming from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund.
They also have Tropical Storm shen T Hall, remember that
kind of hit Palamance County in that area, They have
some damage there that they want to address. Some of
this money also goes to what they call an audit dashboard,
so that you and I and other North Carolinians can
(25:45):
go in and see where storm relief money is flowing.
That's one of the things we had a problem with
when we look back at Encore and some of the
management bureaucracy issues that they had following Hurricanes Florence and Matthew.
They also are making repairs to Warren Wilson College. You
and see ASHTVILL some of those things that really really
took a hit during Hurricane Helen.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
As we look at this going forward, the lawmakers in Raleigh,
do you have a couple of voting days left here
before the end of the year, A couple of days
coming up later this month, a couple next month, Donna,
is there any pet possibility at this point that we
see a full budget here before the calendar flips over
to twenty twenty six, or are we just going to
be coasting on many budgets through the rest of this
(26:28):
year and into next.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
You know, there was a time even two weeks ago,
that I thought maybe I'd been hearing that they were
reaching some agreements. But with the passage of this many
budget likely others to come, I think it's looking less
and less likely we'll have a big budget before the
end of the year. It's not the end of the world, though, certainly.
What it really means is that our old budget continues
to take effect under State laws, so it doesn't make
(26:51):
those big changes. We don't have shutdowns like you would
say in the federal government, which we're watching really closely.
So these kind of things also identify the priority for
the state legislature and where they can find that agreement,
perhaps with the governor.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Do you think this is a little bit of a
political black eye for Republicans? They do, of course have
majorities in both the House and the Senate. Governor Stein
in his capacity and other prominent Democrats in the General
Assembly seem to be able to use this inability for
the Republicans to get together on a budget is kind
of a punching bag down. It seems like there's some
truth to it.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I mean it could be certainly. I mean, we've got
a midterm election coming up in twenty twenty six. Democrats
will likely push on it because we hear them say
that every time these mini budgets come to the floor.
We hear Democrats saying, well, why don't we have a
big budget? And what I think we're really seeing is
this reflection the breakdown between the two chambers and whether
they can agree to keep taxes from keep taxes going down,
(27:47):
that we have a system in place where there are
triggers that as long as economic development and revenues are
coming in, that our state taxes will continue to go
down automatically. And I think there's some disagreement between the Senate,
who wants to keep those triggers moving, keep those taxes
going down, and the House, who is worried and wants
(28:07):
to slow the triggers and not decrease taxes. I think
that you know, historically, what we've seen over the last
decade is that march toward lower taxes is actually working
really well in North Carolina. It's bringing a lot of
companies here without having to give them incentives, although the
incentives are still making the rounds. It seems to some
of those lucky corporations who are chosen by bureaucrats to
(28:30):
get extra money and extra funding and extra support, the
Senate and the folks who want to see taxes keep
going down say, look, taxes need to go down for everybody,
not just those who get incentives.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Absolutely, we've got continued coverage this morning on this mini
budget passed by the General Assembly now signed by Democrat
Governor Josh Stein. You can read those details by visiting
our website. Carolina Journal dot com. It's time for wbt's
Talktoberfest twenty twenty five. You can join us every Saturday
(29:05):
and Sunday in the month of October at six pm
on the WBT Facebook Live feed for a fun, interactive
conversation with all of the great hosts here on News
Talk eleven ten and ninety nine to three WBT. I
will be on this Sunday with Brent Winterble. You can
find out additional details by visiting our website. This morning
WBT dot com. It's now five point fifty three. Welcome
(29:28):
back to the Carolina Journal News Hour, News Talk eleven ten,
ninety nine to three WBT. As we look at a
new rapid response report from the North Carolina State Auditor's Office,
it is raising serious concerns about safety on the Charlotte
Area transit system, also known as CATS. This all coming
more than a month after the brutal, horrific murder of
(29:50):
twenty three year old Irena Zaruska. The twenty three year
old was traveling on the Charlotte light Rail, which is
operated by CATS, on the evening of August t when
an individual by the name of de Carlos Brown Junior
is seen in video surveillance fatally stabbing her in the neck.
Brown has a lengthy criminal record and reportedly did not
(30:11):
purchase a ticket to ride the light rail the night
that he stabbed Zaruska and was riding the light rail
completely for free. The report found that Katz has fewer
armed officers than previous years, a numerous unfilled security positions,
and contracts awarded under very questionable procurement practices, all while
riders face crime rates higher than the national average. Looking
(30:35):
at the security spending, this is remarkable Cats and the
amount that they spend on security has ballooned. It was
just five point nine million dollars in twenty twenty two.
That number has jumped all the way up to eighteen
point four million dollars in twenty twenty five. Yet the
number of armed security guards on duty has declined by
(30:56):
at least forty percent over that same time period. This
staffing level, which was around sixty eight in twenty eighteen,
is now just thirty nine and twenty twenty five, which
does not allow Cats to place an armed officer or
guard on all forty eight train all forty eight cars
of the light rail, according it to the OSA report,
(31:17):
Although the city contract allows for as many as two
hundred and nineteen armed and unarmed security staff. The report
found that there was just one hundred and eighty six
actually assigned to CATS by the company that they contracted with,
Professional Security Services or PSS at the time that Zaruska
was murdered. State Auditor Dave Bolick said, quote, the safety
(31:42):
of citizens of Charlotte need to be first and foremost
when security decisions are being made. Our report shows there
has been a clear shift away from armed security in
the cat's private security contracts. One of the other major
issues brought forth in this report was an RFP or
a request for proposal from twenty twenty two and and
(32:05):
with the City of Charlotte requested security services from businesses
that were registered or certified with the city's Charlotte Business
Inclusion Program or CBI. According to the auditor's report, the
CBI program quote seeks to enhance a competition and participation
of minority, women, and small business enterprises in city contracting.
(32:30):
With that The State Auditor Dave Bollock blasted the decision
from the City of Charlotte and Katz, saying, quote, further
limiting any part of a contract providing citizens with security
to only firms that meet DEI checkboxes raise questions as
to whether politics have taken a priority over public safety.
(32:52):
As we continue our investigation, we will be examining the
decisions that went into designing, soliciting, and approved these security contracts.
Now reaction has started to trickle in from the report
released by the Auditor's Office on Tuesday afternoon. Those responses
also include House Speaker Duston Hall, who called the situation
(33:15):
unacceptable and noted that the North Carolina House will be
taking action based on the findings in this Rapid Response report.
Lawmakers do have some voting days coming up later this month.
They will be back the week of October the twentieth,
potentially for a couple of days to deal with a
variety of issues, Potentially some veto overrides and at least
(33:37):
reading in between the lines in the commentary there from
House Speaker Duston Hall, potentially deal with some additional details
surrounding cats and the Charlotte City Council based on this report.
We've got additional coverage and details on this Rapid Response
report over on our website, Carolina Journal dot com. That's
going to do it for a Wednesday edition at WBT
(33:59):
News is next, followed by good morning BT. We're back
with you tomorrow morning, five to six. Right here by
new Stock eleven ten and ninety nine three WBT
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